gsa professional services schedule (pss) - spring 2016 progress report

GSA Professional Services Schedule (PSS) - Spring 2016 Progress Report

Vanessa Payne & Joel Emmerich | April 27, 2016

http://blogs.aronsonllc.com/fedpoint/

2© 2016 | www.aronsonllc.com | www.aronsonllc.com/blogs |

Agenda

• The Big Picture: Current Environment – GSA FAS’ Strategic Objectives– The PSS Piece of the Puzzle

• What All PSS Contractors Need to Know– PSS Contractor responsibilities – Expanded Opportunities - Adding new SINs

• Special Administrative Requirements for Migrated Contracts– Post-Migration Contractor responsibilities– Managing PSS and Legacy Schedules Simultaneously

• Solving the Option 3 (Evergreen) Dilemma – Contract Continuity Initiative– Streamlined Offer Requirements for Existing Contractors– Additional PSS Refresh 24 Updates

• Looking Forward

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Current Environment – How We Got Here







GSA FAS’ Strategic Objectives

• Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative• Category Management

– Reduce Contract Duplication– Narrowing & Deeping the Purchasing Channel– Enhance Data Collection, Analysis & Transparency– Generate Volume Saving and Administrative Savings– Expanding GSA’s Role in Professional Services Procurements

• Category Hallways– Professional Services Hallways

• Common Acquisition Platform– Acquisition Gateway







The PSS Piece of the Puzzle

$61.9 Billion In Professional Services Annually• A Narrower and Deeper Purchasing Channel• Streamlined Integrated Solutions • Consolidation of Procurement Expertise, Knowledge and Data• Increased Commoditization of Services• Fewer GSA Schedules to Administer and Audit







The Professional Services Schedule (PSS)

Eight Affected Legacy Schedules1. Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services - MOBIS (874)2. Professional Engineering Services - PES (871)3. Financial and Business Solutions - FABS (520)4. Advertising and Integrated Marketing Services - AIMS (541)5. Logistics Worldwide - LOGWORLD (874V)6. Environmental Services - (899)7. Language Services - (738II)8. Consolidated (00CORP) – the PSS “platform”







What All PSS Contractors Need to Know







New Opportunities - Adding New SINs in PSS

• Add new SINs from any of the Legacy Schedules (and/or Complementary Services) instead of submitting a new offer

• Two Projects– $25K Minimum SIN relevant– Less than two years old

• Pricing Substantiation if adding labor categories/products/training– Invoice, quotations, contracts

• Other Modification Related Deliverables– Commercial Sales Practice Disclosures– Most Favored Customer and Basis of Award Negotiations– Proposal Pricelist (Note: Revised format in Refresh 24!)– Fair and Reasonable Pricing Narrative

• With carefully tailored Price Analysis







Complementary Services SINs

Complementary Service SINs from IT / 738X / 03FAC• Can remain on and be added to the PSS Schedule as

“complementary SINs”, cannot be used as “stand alone”• These SINs will always be identified with an alpha “C”

1. C132 51 Information Technology2. C595 21 Human Resource Services (Excluding EEO

Services)3. C871 202 Energy Management Planning and Strategies 4. C871 207 Energy Audit Services5. C871 208 Resource Efficiency Management (REM)6. C871 211 Energy Consulting Services







For Complementary Services to Stand-Alone

• Contractors interested in providing IT, Human Resource and energy-related services on a stand-alone basis must either:– Submit a Contract Relocation Modification Request if these

services already existed on a legacy 00CORP Schedule– Submit a new Offer request if offering these services for the

first time







Price Sensitivity

Contract Awarded Labor Category (CALC) tool

http://calc.gsa.gov



http://calc.gsa.gov/





Contractor Responsibilities for all PSS Contractors

• Maintain an active GSA Digital Certificate• Keep GSA Schedule contract current• GSA Pricelist (catalog/SIP text file) update requirements– Only After changes/updates to contract items or prices– Not after Mass Mods

• Continue to monitor Solicitation Updates and Mass/Mandatory Modifications

• Reporting• Compliance







Special Administrative Requirements for Migrated

Contracts







Post-Migration

• Firms with two or more affected contracts • All SINs were migrated to PSS• A new contract number (GS-00F-xxxxx)• A new period of performance (20 year term)• A new GSA Advantage! Pricelist upload necessary

Money follows the contract! You will report sales against the contract number which the task order references.







Extending Legacy Schedule’s POP

• GSA’s BPAs Migration Model Language• Agency CO’s Response to Model Language– BPA’s in limbo

• Requesting GSA Extend a legacy Schedule– GSA BPA Migration Language Provided to Agency Level CO– Agency Level CO determined that it is not in the government’s

interest to migrate a BPA– Vendor expended a significant level of effort to pursue award of

that BPA– Vendor has open or pending task orders







Post-Migration Terra Firma

• Many Legacy Schedules Persist– Legacy Schedules’ POP extended to mirror BPA’s POPs– Legacy Schedules’ pricing, MODs, and terms locked– Legacy Reporting requirements persist– Legacy Schedules subject to review and audit• Record Keeping -- not less than three years after final

payment







Responsibilities Post-Migration

• Dual Reporting Requirements– 72A - IFF Reporting (See Guidance at https://

72a.gsa.gov/files/CloseoutSales.pdf)– Subcontracting Reporting– Et. Al.

• Dual Compliance– Basis of Award / Price Reductions Clause– Mass / Mandatory Modifications– Minimum Sales Requirements

• GSA Pricelist– Every 24 Months



https://72a.gsa.gov/files/CloseoutSales.pdf

https://72a.gsa.gov/files/CloseoutSales.pdf





Solving the Option 3 (Evergreen) Dilemma







Contract Continuity Initiative - Award of Overlapping FSS Contracts• GSA’s resolution for contracts reaching the end of their 20-year

contract periods with continuing BPAs and task orders• Refresh 24 - Updated Clause: A-FSS-11 Consideration of Offers

under Standing Solicitation (Jan 2016) • Allows for the award of overlapping or continuous contracts –

duplicate FSS contracts for the same items– continuous contracts enables the FSS contractor to complete

work under BPAs and orders awarded via the existing contract, while utilizing the new contract for new business opportunities







Contract Continuity Initiative - Requirements

• New offer must indicate wish for continuous contracts– Include a listing of all active submitted quotes, established BPAs,

and awarded orders under the existing contract – Including ordering activity name and point of contact,

RFQ/BPA/order number, dollar value, and period of performance (including options)

• Assist GSA in determining proper cancellation date for existing contract– To be cancelled the day after the final day of the ordering period for

the active BPA or order (including options)– Or in situations where multiple BPAs and/or orders are active, the

cancellation date should be based on the last remaining BPA or order

• Existing contract must not be used for new business opportunities







Streamlined Offer Requirements for Successful FSS Contractors

Refresh 24: SCP-FSS-001-S Instructions Applicable to Successful FSS Program Contractors (Jan 2016)

Eligibility for “Successful FSS Contractors”• Is proposing the same Special Item Numbers (SINs) • Has met the minimum sales requirements • Has a demonstrated pattern of satisfactory past performance• Refresh 24: Removed condition that existing FSS contractors must

have entered year 14 of existing contract







• Streamlined Administrative / Contract Data Proposal

• Streamlined Technical Proposal• Pricing Proposal – IN FULL– PPL and CSP-1 and

identification of MFC– Supporting Documentation for

EACH proposed price– Pricing Narrative and

Proposed EPA mechanism

Streamlined Offer Requirements for Successful FSS Contractors

PSS Streamlined Offer Requirements

Eliminated and/or Reduced Requirements• Readiness Assessment• Financial Statements• Corporate Experience• Open Ratings Report• Relevant Project Experience• Pathways to Success (future

elimination)







Order Options - 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity (Oct 1995)

• Replaced existing Clause with non-Deviation version. • To allow continue performance on orders and issue options after the

contract has expired. This means that ordering agencies can issue orders with a period of performance, including options, which extend up to 60 months beyond the contract expiration date.

• Specific to orders and is not applicable to BPAs

52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity (Oct 1995)

“The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries

under this contract after [the completion of customer order, including options, 60 months following the expiration of the basic contract ordering period.]”







Additional PSS Refresh 24 Updates• Acquisition Threshold Updates – Oct 1, 2015

– The Micro-Purchase threshold of $3,000 is increased to $3,500.– The Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) of $150,000 is unchanged.– The threshold for use of simplified acquisition procedures for acquisition of

commercial items is raised from $6.5 million to $7 million.– The prime contractor subcontracting plan floor is raised from $650,000 to

$700,000, and the construction threshold of $1,500,000 stays the same.– The threshold for reporting first-tier subcontract information including

executive compensation will increase from $25,000 to $30,000• Commercial Supplier Agreements (CSAs)

– e.g. standard Terms of Service or EULAs; most commonly associated with IT offerings.

– July 31, 2015 Class Deviation implemented to address 15 areas where CSAs conflict with federal law.







Looking Forward







Looking Forward

• Post -Migration– Dual reporting & compliance may be necessary

• Ongoing PSS Refreshes – Effectuate GSA’s evolving category management objectives– Reflective of need for more responsive contracting vehicle

• The New Normal: Two Prong Pricing Substantiation– Commerciality– Parity with substantially equivalent products/services

• BPA & Long-Term Orders with Options – No Need to Wait– Vendors may prepare and submit new offer at any point in vendor’s

current 20 year POP







Valuable Resources

Aronson’s FedPoint Blog: http://blogs.aronsonllc.com/fedpoint

PSS Solicitation Number: FCO-00CORP-0000C(Link for Solicitation found at GSA’s PSS Page)

GSA’s Professional Services Schedule (PSS) page: http://www.gsa.gov/psschedule

GSA’s Interact’s PSS page: https://interact.gsa.gov/groups/professionalservicescategory



http://blogs.aronsonllc.com/fedpoint

http://blogs.aronsonllc.com/fedpoint

http://www.gsa.gov/psschedule

https://interact.gsa.gov/groups/professionalservicescategory

https://interact.gsa.gov/groups/professionalservicescategory





About Aronson LLC

Aronson LLC provides a comprehensive platform of assurance, tax, and consulting solutions to today’s most active industry sectors and successful individuals. For more than 50 years, we have purposefully expanded our service offerings and deepened our industry specialties to better serve the needs of our clients, people, and community. From startup to exit, we help our clients maximize opportunity, minimize risk, and unlock their full potential.







About Aronson LLC

• Thinking ahead for clients for more than 50 years• 225+ professionals located in Rockville, MD• 80+ professionals dedicated to supporting government contractors • Aronson helps clients rethink the way they approach their business

through innovative, industry-specific services and advice:– Audit, Assurance and Tax– Deltek Systems and Outsourcing– Financial and Contract Compliance– GSA Schedules

• www.aronsonllc.com/blogs/fedpoint/ – News and trends and insight for today’s savvy government contractor



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Awards / Accolades / Affiliations

The Gazette of Politics & Business Exceptional 53 Business Award In 2012, Aronson received the PB53 award for the third year in a row. The program acknowledges the top businesses and organizations in Maryland based on criteria that includes the company’s annual revenue, employee growth, noteworthy product or service innovations, community service efforts and more.

Accounting Today Top Firm In 2013, Aronson was once again named to Accounting Today’s list of the top 100 firms in the country. Accounting Today is a leading provider of online business news for the tax and accounting community.

Washington Business Journal Top 25 Aronson is ranked #12 on the Washington Business Journal’s Top 25 Accounting Firms in the DC Metropolitan area.

INSIDE Public Accounting Top 100 Once again, Aronson has earned a spot in the top 100 of this prestigious list, released by INSIDE Public Accounting. This is the longest running, most comprehensive and accurate independent analysis focusing on management and operations of America’s large local, regional and national firms.

Washington Business Journal Best Places to Work Aronson has been recognized five times as one of the Metro area’s “Best Places to Work.” The award recognizes a company’s achievements in creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture.

Montgomery County Chamber Corporate Social Responsibility AwardIn 2010, Aronson was honored to receive the MCCC’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award based on the depth and breadth of the company’s energetic commitment to support young people, in the areas of education, housing and health.







Vanessa Payne is a managing consultant in Aronson LLC's Government Contract Solutions Group. With more than 15 years of full life-cycle government contracts and consulting experience, her expertise includes GSA contract management, subcontract administration, contractor task order proposals, and "Big Four" management consulting in the areas of process improvement, business process reengineering, cost accounting, survey development and analysis, workflow mapping, and facilitation services. She currently specializes in GSA Schedule contract preparation, renewals, and providing ongoing contract management, administration, and compliance support with a special interest in organizational procedure and policy review, improvement, and standardization.Vanessa has been a guest speaker on GSA Schedule and social media topics for Aronson and other industry organizations, and she is a co-founder and frequent contributor to Aronson's Fed Point blog. She received her master's degree in organizational development and strategic human resources as well as a graduate certificate in skilled facilitation from Johns Hopkins University, and she completed her bachelor's degree in communications at the University of Pennsylvania.

Managing Consultant, Government Contract Services Group

240.364.2663

[email protected]

Vanessa E. Payne



http://blogs.aronsonllc.com/fedpoint/





Joel Emmerich is a managing consultant in Aronson’s Government Contract Services Group, where he leverages his experience with government and corporate clients to design client solutions that are precisely tailored to the opportunities and challenges they face in the federal space. He assists his clients with GSA Schedule contract preparation, renewals, and ongoing contract management, administration, and compliance support.Joel earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University, as well as an MBA from American University’s Kogod School of Business and a juris doctorate from the American University Washington College of Law.

Managing Consultant, Government Contract Services Group

240.364.2713

[email protected]

Joel Emmerich







240.364.2663

Contact Vanessa Payne / Aronson LLC

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaepayne




mailto:%[email protected]

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240.364.2713

Contact Joel Emmerich / Aronson LLC

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelnemmerich




mailto:%[email protected]

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gsa professional services schedule (pss) - spring 2016 progress report

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